Ukraine's Security Service seizes Russian “shadow fleet” vessel in Odesa port used for illicit grain exports from Crimea

Photo by: СБУ / SSU

The Security Service of Ukraine has detained and seized a foreign vessel in the port of Odesa that was part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” and had been illegally transporting Ukrainian agricultural products from the temporarily occupied Crimea. According to the SSU, the vessel’s owner, who is under NSDC sanctions, repeatedly changed the ship’s name and nominal beneficiaries in third countries to evade restrictions. At the time of detention, the cargo ship arrived in Odesa under the flag of an African state to load a batch of steel pipes.

Investigators found that, prior to the full-scale invasion, the vessel entered the port of Sevastopol at least seven times to carry out illegal exports of agricultural products in the interests of the Russian Federation. In late January 2021, for instance, it transported nearly 7,000 tons of grain to North Africa.

On board during the seizure were the captain and 16 crew members — citizens of several Middle Eastern countries. During the search, authorities confiscated voyage plans, pilot cards, navigational materials, and radio communication logs confirming the vessel’s illegal calls to ports in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

The SSU has opened criminal proceedings under four articles of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, including financing Russia’s aggressive actions, high treason, transport regulation violations, and illegal entry into the temporarily occupied territory. The vessel has been seized pending transfer to the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA).